Bikes and People
Bicycle and people movements are not addressed in detail in the DESIGN section. There are some references as they relate to the traffic design. This section will provide discussion and some recommendations regarding these elements of the design. The most important factor, safety, is paramount in the discussion of the proposed solutions. The solution presented rules out the mixing of people and bikes without significant safety barriers, for obvious safety concerns.
People
The solution discussed here, does not address the configuration of the actual sidewalks, just the cross-walks. However, looking at options where people and bicycles are in proximity and with no barriers is not an option to be considered.
Cross-walks should be widened where possible to accommodate more pedestrian traffic especially in busy summer months and for small events where streets are not barricaded. In most cases the current placement of cross-walks will be maintained. The two crosswalks to be addressed are at Gilbo Ave. and the north end of Main Street.
Main Street - Removal of the turn-around at the top of Main Street will enable a large area in the center to accommodate the pedestrians during busy times. New signal programming will also allow the walk times to be variable providing better pedestrian traffic results.
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Gilbo Avenue - The crossing will be just north of Gilbo Avenue and will at least 12 ft wide to accommodate increased foot traffic during events that will extend to Railroad Street.
Bicycles
Currently only Washington Street and Main Street have room for bicycle lanes. The lanes on Main Street are the primary focus. Single bike riders can easily use a bike lane defined on the right side of the roadway. Multiple riders, (pelotons), will use the traffic lanes in the roadway, they will not use the bike lane single file, a fact of nature! This applies to any bike lane even in the center or on the sidewalk area. Additionally, the cars are parked at an angle on Main Street. When leaving a parking space would have to be especially difficult to see bicycle riders in the bike lane, as would the riders observing the parked cars.
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However, a bike lane design should be studied where space is available, and the lanes could be natural extensions of existing bike lanes. It is still a major design issue regarding the bike traffic traversing the area around the square and on Main Street. The configuration using the existing traffic configuration around the square as proposed in this document, has much greater flexibility for providing for a possible solution to bike traffic around the square. At this point it is very difficult to see a design that would be safe for traffic around the square!
Even though there may not be many enhancements (new lanes), bike racks and other facilities should be provided for those riders that ride into town to participate in shopping, eating, festivals, and friends.